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Shot Gardner returns to work at BBC

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BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner returned to work today, ten months after being shot by militants in Saudi Arabia.

Gardner spoke to Natasha Kapinsky on BBC Breakfast about the
attack in Riyadh that led to the death of colleague – cameraman Simon
Cumbers – and his ongoing recovery.
Asked if he remembered the attack, Gardner replied: “I’m afraid that I
remember everything – it’s crystal clear… It’s almost like watching a
film. One of them reached into a specially sewn pocket in his gown and
pulled out a pistol, and I thought, Oh God, I know what’s coming next…

“You go into auto, and I shouted in Arabic, ‘No,
don’t do this’… I bolted… ran as fast as I could and for a few,
happy split seconds, I thought I’m going to make it.”

Describing his current state of health Gardner said: “This [the wheelchair] is not a temporary thing… I’m a paraplegic…

“I’m in a wheelchair, so I don’t think I’ll be
joining you in Strictly Come Dancing somehow… I will be able to walk
very slowly in callipers, with a frame.”

Commenting on the support he’s received, Gardner
said: “I have a lot to keep me going (including) my family, I’m writing
a book, and knowing that I can come back to my job – that is a nice
thing.”

He added: “I’m afraid that all the reporting today is about me – a journalist’s dream, and now I’m looking to put it behind me.”

Gardner has been BBC Security Correspondent since
2002 – the only British television journalist dedicated to reporting on
the war on terror full time.

He moved to Dubai in 1997, and reported for the
BBC from Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Kuwait. In 2000, he became a BBC
Middle East Correspondent, based in Cairo.